France name 23 + 7 players squad for 2015 Women's World Cup

Phillipe Bergeroo has named his 23-player squad for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup

There is absolutely no surprise as he has always been consistent in his selection putting his best eleven in the qualifiers and most friendlies. In about 30 games he has rotated his starting 11 probably four times.

Here is the squad in full:

Goalkeeepers (3)

Sarah Bouhaddi (OL) the number one goalie, she used to be error prone and make mistakes on a regular basis but seems to have improved in recent seasons.

Celine Deville (Juvisy) the back-up goalie, she is there to maintain the unity in the squad and her job behind the scenes cannot be underestimated. She is reliable in goal.

Meline Gerard (OL) third choice and Bouhaddi’s understudy at OL. Probably the best keeper in the squad, very explosive, makes great saves but obviously lacks the experience of the other keepers as she is still relatively young.

Defenders (8)

Wendie Renard (OL) the team captain, the tall centre-back is a rock for the French team. She can also score goals from set pieces from headers if needed.

Jessica Houara-D’hommeaux (PSG) Phillipe Bergeroo made her his first choice right-back taking over from Corinne Petit. She is having a good season with her club side and has improved in the last couple seasons.

Laura Georges (PSG) The preferred partner at centre-back for Wendie Renard. The experiences PSG player is a physical defender who does not mind competing with centre forwards.

Amel Majri (OL) a versatile player who can play at left-back or left-wing and will compete with Laure Boulleau for a starting place in defence. She is the typical modern full-back, composed on the ball, very quick to counter attack and can cross the ball as well.

Laure Boulleau (PSG) the PSG left-back waited for her chance in the shadows of French legend Sonia Bompastor and got her chance when the OL player was disciplined and left out of the team. She was cleared on Wednesday for missing doping location meetings and is therefore available for the tournament.

Sabrina Delannoy (PSG) the versatile defender will cover at right-back and centre-back. She is the PSG Club captain and a reliable player. She is good on the ball and useful to help build up attacks from the back.

Anaig Butel (Juvisy) the young centre-back is a back up and has been in the squad for a long time now deputising for the main players whenever she is asked to do so. She lacks the experience of the OL or PSG players at the highest level.

Gridege M’Bock Bathy (Guingamp) is the top prospect in the French team. She has won the u17 World Cup, winning the golden ball award, and also won the u19Eeuros and was awarded the Silver at last year’s u20 World Cup. The young centre-back can also play at left-back if needed making her a valuable asset.

Midfielders (8)

Louisa Necib (OL) the French playmaker has just come back from injury and will be the main midfield threat with her creativity, technical skill and long range shot.

Camille Abily (OL) is the other playmaker, she is a winner and has a lot of experience.

Amandine Henry (OL) a box-to-box player who unfortunately missed the World Cup 2011 and Olympics 2012 due to disciplinary problems, she is in superb form bossing the central midfield alongside Abily.

Elodie Thomis (OL) the winger plays on the right side of the midfield four and has lots making it a nightmare for the opposition full back. She has been working hard on her technical skills for years.

Elise Bussaglia (OL) she is the third choice in France centre midfield, a very competent player she can replace Abily or Henry if needed and keep the team’s competitiveness without problem.

Keira Hamraoui (PSG) a pure defensive midfielder, strong in the tackle and physical, she is mainly used in front of the back four to close out games or when the team need a midfield enforce to help the other two central midfield players who are a little lightweight.

Kenza Dali (PSG) the winger is a recent addition to the squad and is a back up to Necib and Thomis, she can play on either wing and has had a successful season with PSG.

Claire Lavogez (Montpellier) another successful youngster from the u19/u20 generation, she as made the step to the senior team this year and plays on the wing as a back up to Necib or Thomis although she is a natural playmaker.

Forwards (4)

Eugenie le Sommer (OL) the current form player for France, she has scored a lot of important goals for the national team since Bergeroo has taken over. She is a first choice in his 4-4-2 system. A technical player who now finishes well, she is also very creative.

Gaetane Thiney (Juvisy) plays a second striker for France working hard to create space and passes for the other forwards.

Marie-Laure Delie (PSG) is the third choice centre forward due to a couple of difficult seasons with personal problems. She is coming back slowly to her best form.

Kadidiatou Diani (Juvisy) the youngster was a part of the successful u19/u20 team and is a back-up for the three main strikers. Not likely to see playing time during the tournament.

Tactics

The France team plays in a very simple 4-4-2 system with a flat midfield four and the starting 11 will be the following barring injuries and suspensions:

France have attacking side that plays possession-based football. Phillippe Bergeroo’s main job since he took over from Bruno Bini has been to raise and improve the fitness/ strength of the players to be able to compete with the USA, Sweden or Germany on the physical side of the game. The majority of the squad have professional contracts with OL and PSG.

Phillipe Bergeroo has also named seven subs who will be called up if one of the 23 players is injured between now and the beginning of the tournament:

Goalkeeper

Amandine Guerin (Soyaux) has been called up a few times in the senior squad and is a regular in the B squad. Had a great season with Soyaux.

Defender

Charlotte Bilbault (Soyaux) is another stalwart from the B team, she impressed during the Istria Cup in March.

Julie Soyer (Juvisy) captained the B side recently and has many senior caps, she is a good back-up for the squad if she gets called up.

Midfield

Sandie Toletti (Montpellier) is unlucky to miss out on the full squad, she has a few caps for the senior side already and will surely take over from Abily in the future.

Aurelie Kaci (PSG) is a utility player who can play in many position in midfield and defence with a great club season helping her team reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

Forwards

Vivianne Asseyi (Montpellier) the winger is coming back to form after an up and down club season

Clarisse Le Bihan (Guingamp) is another member of the successful u19u/20 squad, has greatly improved this season and was superb at the Istria Cup with the B team.

Following the Arsenal Ladies since 2004/05. Arsenal LFC season ticket holder since they appeared in 2006/07. Likely to be found watching women's football every week-end all over England... and the world. I am also a silver member